Machine for tearing paper



y .1, 1965 J. s. FLEMING 3,182,875

MACHINE FOR TEARING PAPER Filed April 24, 1962 v s Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR John Stuart Fleming 9120: m.C1h0FM J71 ATTORNEY May 11, 1965 J.5. FLEMING 3,182,375

MACHINE FOR TEARING PAPER Filed April 24, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORJohn Stuart Fleming ATTORNEY ay ,1965 v J. 5. FLEMING 3,182,875

MACHINE FQR TEARING PAPER Filed April 24, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I*lliifi i l 44+ am! .0 i I I r 2 id 1 I1 E I v} i INVENTOR- John StuartFleming N ATTORNEY jmm gfhfihbmm United States Patent 3,182,875 MACHINEFOR TEARING PAPER John Stuart Fleming, Niagara Falls, N.Y., assignor toFloxite Company, Inc., Niagara Falls, N.Y., a corpora tion of New YorkFiled Apr. 24, 1962, Ser. No. 189,861 3 Claims. (Cl. 225-99) Theinvention relates to machines for tearing paper, particularly fortearing a paper work sheet into parallel strips, this application beingrelated to the Fleming Patent No. 2,913,160 entitled Machine for TearingPaper, for providing said strips with the soft cushioned edge disclosedin the Fleming patents dated ctober 21, 1958, Nos. 2,856,938 and2,856,939, and No. 2,771,084 dated November 20, 1956.

In the machine of said patent the paper tends to tear beyond the angleof divergence of the belts, resulting in an imperfect irregular softedge, due to the belts failing to hold the Work sheet down tightly tothe lower of the cylinders as it is torn.

An object is to provide such a machine adapted to hold the work sheetdown tightly to a lower or main cylinder and firmly control thedirection of movement of the work sheet While the work sheet is beingtorn, so that the tearing is forced to take place at the precise angleof divergence of the endless belts, resulting in a perfect regular softedge.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations ofparts hereinafter set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the machine with one side frame plateremoved.

FIGURE 2 is a plan View of the machine.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of one side portion of the machineshowing one set of the belts 3 and 5, with both frame plates beingremoved.

FIGURE 4 is a detail section on the line 44 of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a detail fragmentary transverse section of the strips on amuch enlarged scale, showing the soft cushioned edges resulting from thetearing.

Referring to the drawings, the machine for tearing a paper work sheet Ainto parallel strips A comprises the following: Two parallellongitudinally approximated upper and lower cylinders 1 and 2 slightlyspaced apart from each other. A vertically directed endless belt 3passing around and over the lower of said cylinders 2, thence under andaround the upper cylinder 1, thence around and over an upper end pulley4 thereof and back to said lower cylinder, said lower cylinder 2 formingthe lower end pulley of said belt. Duplicate horizontally directedendless belts 5 passing around and over said lower cylinder 2;, one ateach side of said belt 4 and of said upper cylinder 1 along arcuateparallel paths, the horizontally directed endless belts having theirinner edges slightly spaced apart and approximated to the edges of saidvertically directed belt in the plane passing through the axes of saidcylinders, said belts crossing each other at 2 immediately below saidplane, the passage of said vertically directed belt around and under theupper cylinder and of said hon'zontlaly directed belts around and overthe lower cylinder being along arcuate diverging paths, thence aroundand under a guide pulley 6 thereof and thence around end pulleys 7 and 8thereof, back to said lower cylinder 2. Said one belt 3, said duplicatebelts 5 and said upper cylinder 1 have similar narrow widths, much lessthan that of the lower cylinder 2. The diameter of the lower cylinder ismuch greater than that of the upper cylinder 1. The paper work sheet Ais fed between said one belt 3 and said duplicate belts 5 where theypass over the lower cylinder 2 being tom r 3,182,875 Patented May -11,1965 into strips A, certain of which pass around the upper cylinder1,'between the upper cylnder and said one belt, and others of which passaround the lower cylinder 2 between the lower cylinder and saidduplicate belts 5, along arcu-ate diverging paths.

The passage of said one belt 3 around the lower cylinder 2 is for about300 degrees and around the upper cylinder 1 for about 120 degrees. Thepassage of said duplicate belts 5 around the lower cylinder 2 is forabout 120 degrees and around the guide pulley 6 for about degrees.

Said belts 3 and 5 and said upper cylinder 1 are provided in duplicateat opposite sides of the machine, Said lower cylinder 2,, the upper endpulley'4 of said belt 3, said guide pulley 7 and the end pulleys of saidduplicate belts 5 may be wide enough to carry both sets of the duplicatebelts 5.

Said upper cylinder 1, said guide pulley 6, and one end pulley 7 of saidduplicate belts 5 are shown as of similar diameter and tangential tosaid lower cylinder 2.

Said duplicate belts 5 are capable of having their inner edges spacedapart varying distances from the edges of said one belt 3 where they areapproxmated in said plane to vary the breadth and softness of the softedges of said strips resulting from said tearing. Said cylinders andsaid pulleys are rotatably mounted in a fixed frame 9, a drive gear 10upon the shaft of the guide pulley 6 meshing with a pinion 11 upon theshaft of said lower cylinder 2, thereby rotating said cylinders 1 and 2and driving said belts 3 and 5 in opposite directions.

The above described machine provides means for continuously andsimultaneously gripping the work sheet A fed between the belts 3 land 5,at said plane, gripping and dragging said strips A between said beltsand said cylinders along arcuate diverging paths, and tearing the worksheet along an unweakened line of straight direction into said strips.

The soft edges of said strips A may be serrated or otherwise patterned,due to the approximated edges of said belts being similarly patterned,this feature being not shown.

Winding rollers, not shown, may be provided upon which the strips A maybe wound.

The soft cushioned torn edges B of said strips A resulting from saidtearing are beveled at B upon one side thereof, as shown in FIGURE 5 andmay be provided with the thin superficial coating of water repellentreinforcing material upon their non-beveled sides as shown in saidFleming patents.

The belts 3 and 5 being narrow, the use of V belts engaging V grooves ofthe cylinders and pulleys is made possible.

Due to the aforesaid, the machine is enabled to be run faster and at thesame time to turn out better products or strips A one of about 1 /2 inchwidth which may be later divided transversely into parts and two narrowribbon strips each of about 4 inch width, all of said strips having theopposite edges thereof constituted by the soft cushioned soft edge B.These figures are subject to variation.

I claim:

1. A machine for tearing a paper work sheet into parallel strips,comprising: upper and lower parallel longitudinally approximatedcylinders slightly spaced apart from each other, a vertically directedendless belt passing around and over the lower cylinder, and thencearound and under the upper cylinder, duplicate parallel horizontallydirected endless belts passing around and over the lower cylinder one ateach side of said vertically directed belt and of said upper cylinder,along parallel paths, said horizontally directed belts having theirinner edges slightly spaced apart and approximated to the edges of saidvertically directed belt in the plane passing through the axes of saidcylinders, said belts crossing each other immediately below said plane,the passage of said vertically directed belt around and under the upper'cylinder and of said horizontally directed belts around and over thelower cylinder being along arcuate diverging paths.

2. A machine for tearing a paper work sheet along an unweakened lineinto parallel strips, as defined in claim 1 in which the passage of saidvertically directed belt around the lower cylinder is for about 300degrees and around the upper cylinder is'for about 120 degrees, and inwhich the passage of the horizontally directed belts around the lowercylinder is for about 120 degrees and around its guide pulley is forabout 90degrees.

3. A machine for tea-ring a paper work sheet along an unweakened lineinto parallel strips, as defined in claim 1, in which said horizontallydirected belts are A, capable of having their inner edges spaced apartvarying distances from the edges of said vertically directed belt Wherethey are approximated in said plane to vary the breadth and softness ofthe soft edge resulting from said tearing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.21,718 2 41McFarland et 1. 225-100 876,008 1/08 Overbury 22599 X 2,258,428 10/41Stalder 225-99 X 2,753,936 7/56 Mac'Chesney. 2,913,160 11/59 Fleming22599 FOREIGN PATENTS 716,806 1/42 Germany.

ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner.

1. A MACHINE FOR TEARING A PAPER WORK SHEET INTO PARALLEL STRIPS,COMPRISING: UPPER AND LOWER PARALLEL LONGITUDINALLY APPROXIMATEDCYLINDERS SLIGHTLY SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER, A VERTICALLY DIRECTEDENDLESS BELT PASSING AROUND AND OVER THE LOWER CYLINDER, AND THENCEAROUND AND UNDER THE UPPER CYLINDER, DUPLICATE PARALLEL HORIZONTALLYDIRECTED ENDLESS BELTS PASSING AROUND AND OVER THE LOWER CYLINDER ONE ATEACH SIDE OF SAID VERTICALLY DIRECTED BELT AND OF SAID UPPER CYLINDER,ALONG PARALLEL PATHS, SAID HORIZONTALLY DIRECTED BELTS HAVING THEIRINNER